Project Update: Headed for the Finish Line

Here we are, standing on the brink of November again.

Night breezes are whispering of coming frosts. The sun is sinking lower and lower on the skyline. Squirrels are rustling busily in crisp, golden piles of fallen leaves…

And all over the world, writers everywhere are rustling just as busily in piles of outlines and story notes, trying to get them all in order before the great writing marathon begins on November 1st.

It’s time for this year’s NaNoWriMo.

And this writer, for one, has some very, very big plans.

Last year was the first time I participated in National Novel Writing Month. I used it as a catalyst to propel me through a massive re-writing job I had to do. Overhauling my original version of the story and more or less starting over, with a new main character and a new story outline. I rewrote the entire first quarter of the book that month, and clocked in at the end with a total of over 30,000 words. That’s a hefty chunk, though it was still a good bit shy of the 50,000-word NaNoWriMo goal. However, I was pretty satisfied. After all, I was dealing with a jam-packed schedule all month, complete with week-long trip to New England in the middle of it all.

But this November, I’ve managed to keep my social calendar minimal, scheduled only a couple of days of travel (for Thanksgiving), and set myself up to have as much writing time available as I could possibly manage.

Because this November I’m going for the full 50,000.

THIS November…

I’m going to finish the book.

Or at least, that’s the big plan. If I can actually manage to write 50,000 in 30 days, I will meet and exceed the 120,000 word goal for this book. And I will be typing “The End” before December drops a curtain on this year’s writing marathon.

After over two years of research, writing, and rewriting, the thought of actually finishing the manuscript and moving on into the editing and publishing stage is both exciting and a little bit scary. Exciting because it means taking the final steps in a long, sometimes wonderful, sometimes exhausting adventure. But scary because…well…the final steps are sometimes the most challenging part of the journey. It’s like mountain climbing. Sometimes the hardest part is right before you drag yourself, panting and triumphant, onto the summit.

But first, 50,000 words.

I have only a few days left before the race to the final page begins. I know I can do it. As long as I can keep focused and don’t get bogged down in some unexpected plot hole. Be sure to check back here on the blog frequently,  to watch my progress on the word count meter. And also keep an eye on my Facebook page because I plan to announce certain milestones as I hit them.

So here we go. I’ve got the outline mapped out, the plot-holes (filled in (I hope), and two years of story research waiting to woven together and laid out in one final whirlwind of storytelling.

Cheer me on, everybody! I’m headed for the finish line.